This invention relates to the field of apparatus and machines to bread food. In particular, it relates to breading apparatus which is not operated by a power machine but is manually manipulated by the user and enables completion of the breading process as well as the cooking or baking process without the user touching the food after it has once been placed in the breading apparatus.
Prior art breading machines and apparatus known to the inventor include those disclosed in the following United States patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,743 discloses a motor driven drum which breads food items placed therein as it is rotated by the motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,193 discloses a machine for breading food by placing it in a perforated cylindrical housing and rotating the housing whereby the food items are breaded as they tumble within the cylindrical housing during rotation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,778 discloses a machine for breading food comprising a perforated cylinder for the food items, and a hopper to feed breading material to the perforated cylinder and food therein as it is rotated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,735 discloses an agitator for breading meats comprising a pan for the batter and a rotary drum for the breading material such as bread crumbs. The food items to be breaded are first dipped in the batter and then placed in the drum with the bread crumbs, whereupon the food items become breaded when the drum is rotated.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,776 discloses another rotary drum type of machine for "dusting" or breading food items with flour or other breading material. The laterally mounted flights projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the drum catches flour at the bottom portion as the drum rotates, carrying it upwardly to fall on the food item impaled on the axially positioned spit as the flights continue around the arcuate path of the drum.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,616,391 discloses a breading pan having an upper screen to serve as a cover for a lower screen member in the shape of a bowl to receive food between the two screens. Breading material is put in an outer pan, which penetrates through the screen when the outer pan with inner screen chamber is rotated or otherwise manipulated to cause the breading material to fall on the screen chamber which holds the food items.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,170,904 discloses a serving oven comprising an outer two part enclosure of metal such as aluminum for good heat conductivity, and an inner wire basket for the food items supported in spaced apart relation to the outer metal enclosure. The outer metal enclosure is placed in direct contact with a heat source, and the food items in the separately supported basket are heated without being scorched as would otherwise happen if in direct contact with the heated metal walls of the outer enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,842,101 discloses a coating apparatus comprising a box mounted for rotation and a basket supported therein having a mesh floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,569,264 discloses a device for "flouring" meats, vegetables and the like comprising a wire basket suspended in an outer container, and several vertical tines extending down in the basket to keep food items from becoming matted and to serve as agitators. Food items are placed in the wire basket together with flour or other breading material and the unit is shaken. When the wire basket is lifted out after the food items have been coated, the remaining flour falls through the screen into the outer container wherein it can be recovered and re-sifted for further use.